


Sunrise on our Sins

by LunaStories



Category: Deadpool - All Media Types, Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Fluff and Angst, Giant sea creatures and creepy monsters, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Peter is in denial of his feelings, Science Fiction, Sea Monsters, Wade is a flirt as usual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-09-02 03:21:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16778596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaStories/pseuds/LunaStories
Summary: Deep down, in the darkest recesses of the ocean, live creatures known only in the old tales and the remains of those less fortunate. For centuries, they exist separate from the humans that populate the land. When the sea levels rise, those gargantuan sea beasts rise as well, forcing humanity to find new ways to survive.Many years after the Submersion, Peter is the scientist and engineer tasked with maintaining the technology that his parents invented, technology that has bought them time on the surface of the dangerous waters—for now. Amid the race to find a more permanent solution, Peter finds himself seeking help from the Wanderer he’s been avoiding, hoping for peace, hoping for more.





	Sunrise on our Sins

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! 
> 
> This was a super fun story to write and I wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of my amazing beta [Adaille](https://archiveofourown.org/users/adaille/pseuds/adaille). Seriously, she went over this so many times, even I was tired of reading my own fic by the end of it haha. I really appreciated the effort you put into it, thank you so much friend <3 
> 
> And of course, this story wouldn't have come to life without the awesome monster art by [jdragon122](https://jdragon122.tumblr.com/). This is just one of many collabs I have with her but this is one of the first we've been able to complete and post. Very excited for you guys to see this incredible art. (Note: quick disclaimer that the title banner was an edited graphic and we do not claim credit for the whole piece)
> 
> Please note that in this fic, Wade is slightly more balanced due to the fact that he doesn't have the usual voices in his head. I still hope this fic is plenty enjoyable. :) The song that was the theme for this fic can be found [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5x1fquiP8U) it was also the inspiration for the title!

The sea had always sounded muted to him. It was only when he was in the water, surrounded by murky darkness and the sensation of biting cold, that he felt at peace.

Peter had only been five when the Submersion started. He vividly remembered falling off the boat, the sounds of screaming and gunfire fading as the water surrounded him. He’d always loved the ocean, but deep inside, he knew it would never be the same again.

Distantly, there were low echoes in the waters, the roars of ancient beasts as they devoured cities and took lives.

In that split second of submersion, he opened his eyes to see something staring back through the murky waters. The creature’s dark pupils were like bottomless pits, and he could see the bright, glow of his own eyes reflected in its gaze.

It was huge, the eyeball almost five times the size of him, and he could see the glint of sharp teeth reflected from the wavering firelight above the waters. He couldn’t make out its whole body, but already he felt paralyzed by fear, his heart pounding.

Just when he thought he wouldn’t survive the encounter, he was pulled out of the water by two pairs of strong arms, both sets belonging to his parents. Around him, he could hear the screams again, louder above the ocean’s surface, the civilians wailing in despair as they all tried to clamber back onto the boat. The majority of the city was submerged in water, and all the remaining surfaces were burning. The only thing holding back the people were the soldiers on board who kept them away with ruthless gunfire. Some rushed the soldiers regardless, deciding that being shot was a kinder death than being eaten alive.

His parents sobbed, thanking the gods that he’d survived the fall into the water. Even as he stayed nestled in their arms, shivering, he stared out into the crying faces of the humans around him. He stared as the soldiers yelled at the mob to stay back, eyes crazed as they tried to defend their spot of safety on the boat, and to protect those rich enough to afford a spot.

The waters were now humanity’s worst fear, yet he couldn’t help but think these humans were as monstrous as the ancient sea beasts, looming above him with their wide eyes and shouting mouths. Both the people on this boat, who his parents said were protected by their position in the government or their money, and the ones who struggled so fruitlessly on the docks. Even as he watched the world drown, guilt consumed him for being chosen to survive, simply because his parents were famous engineers.

2018 was the year the world ended, with no warning except the sudden rise in sea level and the gargantuan beasts that came with it.

2018 was when humanity lost their position as the apex predators of the Earth.

They now had a new name for the period of time after the end of the world.

There was AC for After Christ, and BC for Before Christ. Now everything past 2018 was SU.

Year 1, the start of the Submersion, and the end of humanity.

xxxxxx

Peter squinted at the sun as he pulled in his fishing net. With one hand shielding his eyes, he looked up as a flock of birds flew by, briefly casting shadows on the small boat he was kneeling on.

The strong winds rocked his boat back and forth, almost toppling him over. With a grunt, he lifted up the net and hauled it onto the deck. He may be twenty four now, but he still lacked the necessary strength to pull it in without feeling like he’d strained a muscle.

A variety of small sea animals flopped weakly within the net; some he recognized, and some he didn’t. They’d learned over time the more fluorescent ones were inedible and caused severe fevers.

He wiped his hands on his shirt before grabbing a pair of worn gloves from the container beside him. Carefully opening the net, he picked out any fish he knew were poisonous and kept the ones that would feed his people for another day.

After a quick perusal of his inventory, he decided he’d gathered a satisfactory amount and started rowing back home. He hummed lightly as he tipped his head back, his messy brown hair flopping on his head as the sun warmed his pale skin.

With his eyes closed, he could almost pretend this was a leisure trip, and that at any moment he could turn to the boat that always kept him company, and the one person who’d always watched over him. He opened his eyes to the same lingering emptiness, nothing but the wide sea and the edge of the horizon in his view.

He pushed his longing down and focused on rowing back to the facility, his lips pressed into a thin line and his grip never faltering on his oars.

He soon arrived at the dock and moored his boat there, tying it tightly to the wooden stake attached to the platform on which the compound floated.

It was a sizable building, housing one of the largest research facilities that’d survived the years after the Submersion. The flotation devices had been his parent’s final creation, and he felt a strange sort of bond to the place he’d spent most of his life in.

These devices were made of scrap metal and almost looked like the traditional floaties that people used to wear. Giant fans whirred at high speeds beneath the water, keeping the structure afloat and above the dangerous waters. Disrupters were attached to the underside of the flotation which emitted a constant sonic echo to disrupt and hide their presence from the gigantic sea monsters that lurked underneath.

The flotation devices were powered using the biocomponents of the fish from the sea. Most of the scientists in the compound spent their days fishing in order to gather enough fish to eat and to keep their buildings afloat. They all took turns. While others fished, some would stay behind and continuously research for a better way to live above the waters. Since fish was their main staple now, they often had to choose between powering the devices that kept them all alive, or going hungry.

The devices his mother and father had created had been a breakthrough. Before that, the survivors had huddled on their too fragile boats, fending off the monsters that tried to drag them into the sea and consume them. Once his parents figured out that the creatures found them using something similar to echolocation, they’d created the flotation devices and installed sound-based technology to divert the sound waves, rendering them undetectable.

Peter’s parents had died hunting down the correct frequency to put in their invention. They had to get up close and personal to one of the creatures in order to pinpoint the frequency needed. They’d succeeded, but at the cost of their lives. Peter had been young, but when the other scientists in the facility ushered him into his room with quiet voices and teary eyes, he knew he would never see them again. They’d softly explained to him that he would be transferred to the dorms, where most of the other orphaned kids lived. That night, he’d packed his bags, and left his family’s bedroom to start his new life without his mom and dad to tell him everything would be alright.

Peter knew he was lucky. Luckier than most of humanity at least. During Year 1, he’d only been five, but he vividly remembered how many people had died, and how many survived.

The town he’d lived in had been on the bigger side with 19,456 people living in it. He’d remembered his parents frustrated whispers, scared as they tried to figure out a way to help the townspeople survive the Submersion. The number was daunting, and they didn’t have the means to save all of them. He’d known his neighbors and played often with the children around his house. His parents were well respected engineers and scientists who worked for the government, and often, they’d host gatherings for the town.

That night, when the town was finally fully submerged, his parents had ushered him on the ship with a sort of frantic, desperate energy. He remembered waving goodbye to his friends in confusion, not knowing that they would not survive the night.

His town had 19,456 people.

Only 65 of them were allowed onto the boat, and his family had taken up three of those spots.

Sometimes, he wondered if it was survivor’s guilt or an obligation to his parents that kept him busy. Following in his parent’s footsteps, he inherited their life’s work and was currently one of the sole members of the facility equipped with the ability to repair and research the flotation devices.

There were more of these devices, scattered miles away from each other. They had created as many as they could from the salvaged metal of wrecks, risking many lives as they sent divers into the sea to rip buildings apart in an effort to gather materials. It was desperate, and stupidly risky. They had nothing to aid them in the dive, just pure determination and the drive to survive. The only reason they even managed to gather the materials was because most of the buildings were tall enough that they could reach them easily.

It took them ten years to salvage enough to create the few floating cities that many of the remaining humans now lived on. He knew without a doubt that most who lived on these cities were the rich and privileged, though some people like his family had earned their spots out of merit and a necessity for their skills. Either way, it made his heart hurt, knowing their world was now separated into those who have, and those who have not.

The have-nots, or the Wanderers, as the city folk had started calling them, were the ones who lived in the abandoned ruins of skyscrapers, desperately clinging to the top floors and making a home out of the rooftops. Whenever a building became submerged, they would move to a new one, risking their lives in the ocean without any sort of seaworthy vessels. The sea levels rose every year, and though his city and his facility floated comfortably on top of the water, he knew it was only a matter of time before all the skyscrapers would be submerged as well.

Then, the last of humanity, the ones with heart and soul, they would be left with only one fate. Fish food.

So he worked hard whenever it was his turn to research. He worked himself to the bone, his eyes blurred with exhaustion as he ran over all the different materials and new vegetation they found cropping up on wayward rocks or islands they discovered. Though these “islands” were actually the tops of mountains, it still gave them an opportunity to touch land, and remember a time when water was something they craved and not a constant fear.

They were so much closer to the sky now, as if the sea was pushing them up to meet the gods, but most of humanity had given up on their hopes and beliefs the moment the Submersion became inevitable.

He was startled out of his thoughts when a high voice called out to him. He sighed, lips quirking up in an exasperated smile as he walked over to the facility doors.

“I thought you were supposed to be researching algae,” Peter reprimanded as he took off his glove and swatted at the red haired woman that stood by the door. She grinned, unrepentant and with a pout on her lips.

“But it’s my lunch break,” she whined, rubbing at her head in mock pain, glaring at him playfully. “You know the professor has been asking for you.”

Peter let out a groan, a furrow in his brows as he frowned.

“MJ, what did you do this time?”

“I didn’t do anything!” she protested, a fire in her green eyes as she stepped into the building, gesturing for him to follow. “Why do you always think it’s my fault?”

“Because it’s always your fault.” Peter replied, shoving at her as she tried to punch him in the arm.

“Rude! I’ll have you know you should be grateful to me. I found the pieces you needed.” She crossed her arms, her smile soft as she opened the large doors and stepped into one of the labs.

She laid her coat on the back of a chair, the white of the lab coat now an indiscernible color due to age. Clothes were hard to come by in a world where plants were rare. They did have their own green room where they carefully cultivated seeds and plants they’d luckily found on some of the boats. However, they’d learned early on that clothes made of of plant leaves were highly uncomfortable.

MJ was a chemist, one of the best there was. At age 15 she had been a genius who’d secured spots on the ship both for herself and her mom. Her dad had been lost in the Submersion, and she still had nightmares of the glowing fins that’d flashed in the night, right before her father had shoved her out of the way. She’d screamed as he’d been dragged off of the ship by a monstrous creature, its sharp teeth embedded in his ankle.

Now at age 33 she was like the older sister he never had. Sadly, she was nowhere near mature and he was often dragged into her schemes whenever she was bored. There wasn’t much to do at the facility in terms of entertainment. Her job mostly consisted of finding a combination of chemicals that would create the best coating for the flotation devices. The water slowly eroded the metal, and it was only through constant upkeep and a healthy slathering of chemically enhanced sap that kept them functioning.

They both knew that relying on the slowly eroding flotation devices wasn’t a viable solution. The constant assault by the sea meant they only had a short number of years left. Eventually, their attempts to repair the flotation device would fail, plunging them into the ocean to be consumed by the creatures lurking below.

The sonar disruption devices themselves were luckily easier to create and much smaller. All of their boats and ships had one, and it kept them well hidden from the sea monsters. The flotation devices, on the other hand, were too large to reasonably keep functioning. Entire cities rested on them, and it really spoke of humanity’s desperation that their fate rested on floating above their demise with devices resembling pool floaties.

Their life was a constant race against erosion and gathering the correct materials to keep the devices functioning another day. One of the rarer things to gather was, surprisingly, bolts and screws. They were so small that, most of the time, the salvage teams went for the larger pieces of scrap metal. Of course, this also meant that when the devices inevitably rusted up one of the bolts, they would have nothing to replace it.

The fact that MJ had somehow found some for him was not an easy feat.

His eyes lit up as he grinned, rushing over to his lab table and touching the pieces almost reverently.

They were surviving by the skin of their teeth but the screws MJ had given him would keep them afloat for a while longer.

“Where did you get these?” Peter whispered in quiet awe, mind running through the schematics and the blueprint of the facility. He had to remember where exactly he had needed some extra bolts, and then fix it as soon as possible. Still, these small items were hard to come by, and he was infinitely curious as to how she could have gotten some.

MJ shrugged, a faux veil of carelessness drooping over her shoulders as she avoided his eyes. “Nowhere important. I just found them.”

“MJ,” Peter murmured, a distinct warning tone in his voice.

“Fine, fine,” she cried out as she threw her hands in the air and ran her fingers through her long hair. “I met up with some Wanderers and traded them some of my sap.”

“You what?!” Before he could protest she slapped a hand over his mouth, shushing him.

“Look, we both know that the devices are starting to malfunction more and we desperately needed these bolts and screws. Our supply of sap may be limited, but without the bolts and screws the devices would stop working. Then we’d all be screwed anyways.” MJ paused, a quirk to her lips as her eyes glinted in humor. “We’d be screwed, get it? Ha! I’m a genius.”

Peter let out a startled huff of laughter before clearing his throat quickly, determined to stay angry at her. What she’d done was a security risk. The people on the facility were considered high profile, as it was their work that kept the last of humanity alive. The compound was constantly guarded by armed soldiers, and they served as both protection and a reminder that they couldn’t escape the research facility.

If the Wanderers had taken her hostage, they could’ve easily demanded anything they wanted in order to get her back. It was a stupid move, and only one of many she’d made over the years he’d known her.

He was only 24 and already he could feel himself getting migraines from the constant stress she put him under.

“Just…at least take me with you next time,” Peter muttered as he pulled her hand away from his mouth with a gentle grip.

MJ rolled her eyes, dancing back from his swift pinches, predicting he’d retaliate for the way she’d shoved him. There was a smirk on her face that unsettled Peter, and he could already feel the flush start up his neck.

“Hm, worried are you?” she asked skeptically, tapping one finger against her chin teasingly in thought. “Sure you’re worried about me and not the handsome Wanderer you know and love?”

“Wha—” Peter spluttered as he turned away from her. “I don’t—Why would I care—”

He paused, realizing that by panicking, he was giving her exactly what she wanted. By the delighted snickers she was hiding behind her hand, she knew full well that his heart was pounding and he was more than a little flustered.

“I don’t care about that stupid Wanderer,” Peter denied. MJ had somehow got it in her head that just because a certain Wanderer followed him around years ago, it meant there was something going on between them. Peter and Wade...their friendship was an enigma. It was a fragile balance between two people from completely different worlds, trapped by their own responsibilities. It wasn’t Peter’s place to wish for something more, because to do so was foolish and would lead to nothing but heartbreak.

Still, he couldn’t help but yearn for a peaceful life, one where Peter could freely press kisses to Wade’s scarred skin, and feel their hearts beat in tandem.

Peter took a deep breath and there was a beat of silence before he carefully looked up at her from beneath his dark, messy hair, eyes tentatively hopeful. “Was he the one you traded with…?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“MJ—!” Peter’s screech of indignation was cut off when the door opened. He carefully lowered his hand, putting down the bolts he’d been ready to pelt at her smug face.

He cleared his throat and they both stood tall, giving the stern-looking woman who’d walked in a salute.

“Ma’m, what brings you here?” Peter asked, the epitome of politeness as he stared into her stormy gray eyes. Her gaze softened when it rested on him, her hands clasped lightly in front of herself as she stepped forward.

“Peter.” Her voice was always quiet, yet it held a sense of authority within it. Though she was in her late forties, the stress of maintaining the facility and managing the people in it had led her to gray prematurely. Her hair was dark with streaks of lighter gray throughout, giving her a rather dignified look. She preferred to tie her hair up in a bun most of the time, and it gave people the impression that she was harsh and untouchable.

That was far from the truth. While she often had to remain stern, during her down time she was the person everyone trusted and could relax around. Of course, when other scientists transferred in they didn’t learn this until much later. Often times, she would play up the strict aspect of her personality just so other cities would take her seriously.

It was a running joke within the facility. Her real name was May, but everyone saluted her and called her Professor as a way to poke fun of her reputation.

“I see you found those bolts and screws you were missing.”

Peter squinted at her before speaking slowly.

“I’m not sure if you’re happy for me or if that was a jab at my intellect.”

She shrugged, her face unmoved as she stared him down.

“Why not both?”

Peter groaned as MJ muffled another evil cackle behind her hands. He recovered quickly, glaring at MJ as he decided that he didn’t have to be the only one to suffer. He threw her under the bus with not even a hint of guilt, knowing May would never harshly punish one of her favorite researchers.

“I can’t take all the credit,” Peter drawled out, smiling benignly as MJ narrowed suspicious eyes at him. “MJ was the one that gave up some of her sap in order to obtain the materials.”

“Oh?” May asked, voice deceptively light as she turned to MJ and raised an inquisitive brow. “And who exactly did you trade with?”

It was a question they all knew the answer to. Within the facility everything was shared, so if MJ had to actually trade something for the materials, they were most likely not part of their crew.

MJ chewed anxiously on her bottom lip as she glanced up at May, using the full force of her puppy dog eyes.

“It wasn’t anyone dangerous…just a Wanderer I know.”

May let out a thoughtful hum, her eyes calculating as she spoke. Instead of reprimanding MJ for the dangerous choice she’d made, Peter was surprised by her almost calm response.

“You wouldn’t happen to be in constant contact with this Wanderer, would you?”

MJ straightened her back, eyes narrowed and head tilted slightly as she observed the expectant, hopeful look on May’s face.

“I’m not…but I could possibly get in contact again if you needed something.”

A group of scientists passed by the still open doors, a sudden loud laugh bursting through as they walked by. May waited until they were out of earshot before closing the door and gesturing for them to come closer.

Peter and MJ glanced at each other in worried confusion before slowly approaching her. They huddled together, heads bent low as May talked.

“What I’m about to tell you must be kept between the three of us. It’s not anything life threatening but…I don’t want to give anyone false hope.” She was hesitant in a way they’d rarely seen. She seemed tense, a hand coming up to rub at her lab coat clad arm nervously.

“We promise,” Peter replied, sincere. He paused before gesturing at MJ. “And I’ll make sure she doesn’t say anything either.”

“Hey!”

“We both know Peter is the only thing keeping you from destroying us all,” she spoke lowly, humor lacing her voice as she smiled.

MJ sniffed haughtily, crossing her arms and turning her head up. “If I decided to ruin us all, no one would know it was me. I’m just that good.”

“Right.” Peter rolled his eyes with a sigh. “It’s slightly concerning that you seem to have thought about this before.”

May cleared her throat and they both gave her an apologetic smile before focusing.

“I have received intel that the Wanderers have found an alternative way to survive on the waters.” Her eyes observed them carefully, as both of them tensed for a moment.

MJ immediately exploded into questions, hands waving wildly as she started twenty different sentences at once.

Peter on the, other hand was frozen in place, his mind racing. What exactly could the Wanderers have discovered that their well equipped lab could not? How could they have found the answer to the problem that they have spent years fruitlessly trying to solve?

Peter inhaled slowly, letting the air fill his chest and settle the erratic pounding of his heart as he gathered his thoughts. He finally spoke up when MJ’s voice tapered off, running out of steam.

“What…what is it that they have?”

May shrugged, her lips pressed into a thin line as she pressed her thumb and pointer finger to the wrinkle on the bridge of her nose. She let out a harsh sigh, conflicted, her wrinkles more pronounced with stress.

“I can’t be sure. It’s just a rumor but it’s still a better chance than this stalemate we have, waiting for the devices to rust away and scrambling to find a solution or a whole new way to survive.” She looked up at them, eyes fierce and determined. “We may have always been at odds with the Wanderers, but if you have an in…maybe we could convince them to share their methods with us.”

MJ looked troubled, her jaw clenching as she sighed. It was exaggerated and there was a certain cunning glint to her eyes that made Peter tense. He had a distinct foreboding feeling when her eyes rested on him calculatingly for a moment, before turning back to May.

“The thing is…the exchange I had with this Wanderer was a one time deal, I don’t know if they would be open to trade now that they’ve gotten what they wanted. And you know how Wanderers are, they change places all the time. It’d be almost impossible to find the one I made contact with.”

MJ met their suspicious looks with an apologetic smile, though the way it ticked up on one end made it look more like a smirk. It was highly unlikely she didn’t have other contacts, but there was no reason for her to lie to them...was there?

There was a somber silence as May and Peter racked their brains for another way. Besides MJ, it was highly unlikely that any of the other members of the facility had come into contact with a Wanderer...not since he’d decided avoiding Wade was the best solution for his dumb crush. Wanderers were notoriously hard to find and also extremely wary of the scientists from the compound. It was understandable, after all, many of them still held a grudge for being abandoned during the Submersion.

Unlike the researchers, they didn’t have the luxury of being chosen. The government had only a limited number of spaces on their rescue ships and they had made an active choice to exclude those whose lives they’d regarded as less important.

The only reason MJ had connections was because she went out on expeditions often and was foolishly brave enough to try and befriend any Wanderer she came across.

“Well…” MJ drawled the word out slowly, glancing at Peter in that conniving way of hers. Peter bared his teeth, giving her a stern look. He had a feeling she wouldn’t heed his nonverbal warning and would still go through with whatever nonsense she was about to condemn him to. “There is one Wanderer who we could get in contact with.”

“That’s good,” May breathed out, obviously relieved as her eyes lit up. “Contact them as soon as possible.”

“See, the thing is…” MJ trailed off with a pout, trailing her hand through her hair in fake hesitation. Peter was slowly realizing that MJ’s sudden inability to meet with a Wanderer herself, was all a ploy to get him to meet the one person he really didn’t want to see. “This Wanderer will only meet with Peter, so he has to go.”

May frowned, glancing between MJ’s deceptively imploring eyes and Peter’s quickly flushing face. “And why is that?”

“Let’s just say Peter and this Wanderer have a special connection—”

“MJ!” Peter interrupted with a hiss, darting embarrassed eyes at an amused and curious May.

“Well, if he’s our best chance then I can speak with the council and send him out to meet with the Wanderer.” Clearly, she’d made her decision. She straightened up, pulling out a small notepad as she quickly took some notes. “I’ll have you all set up in a day at most. Please pack in preparation for the trip. MJ, get in contact with the Wanderer and tell them that Peter is interested in meeting with them.”

“What?!” Peter spluttered as his head swung back and forth, watching the two woman plan out his demise. “I am not interested. Why don’t I have a say in this?”

He refused to admit he was whining, but thanks to MJ and May’s shared looks of exasperation, he knew he hadn’t succeeded in keeping it out of his voice.

“Because,” May spoke slowly, as if she was explaining something complex to a child. “You are the only person who can potentially gather information from the Wanderers. Information that can quite possibly save the rest of humanity. Are you telling me you won’t go?”

May was rarely threatening, but by the piercing and judgmental look of disappointment on her face, Peter knew he had to comply or he would suffer the consequences.

He plastered on a pained grin as he slumped over in resignation. “Of course, I’d be happy to be of service.”

“Excellent, I’ll get started on the preparations. Your boat will be ready by 8 tomorrow morning.” She turned around sharply, her sneakers squeaking on the polished floor as she muttered plans to herself and left the room quickly.

“I hope you’re proud of yourself.” Peter groaned as he flopped into a chair, sending MJ his most intimidating glare. She laughed, taking delight in his pain.

Sometimes he wondered why he put up with her.

“I am very proud indeed.” She sang as she grabbed a beaker and a piece of sap she’d been drying. She had been working on creating a more durable formula to coat the flotation devices. It was a slow process. “Now, go get ready. We both know you’re not a morning person.”

With a dramatic sigh, he trudged to his room.

There were preparations to be made, and he would need to be briefed before the trip as well. He would represent the entire facility, and any agreements he made would have to be within the parameters of what they were willing to give up in order to obtain the information.

He could only hope this wasn’t a fruitless expedition.

xxxxxx

Peter had by some miracle managed to wake up on time.

Now he was at the dock—or at least, that’s what they called it. It was honestly just pieces of driftwood attached to the flotation device, where they could tie up boats.

The Professor was already waiting, her hands holding onto a backpack that was most likely filled with the necessary documents and provisions for his trip.

“Peter,” she greeted with a brief incline of her head. She handed him the pack, explaining as he opened it and rifled through it briefly. “MJ has contacted the Wanderer and he will meet you at the Rounded Ruins. Inside the backpack is enough provisions to last you a week, should your trip take you longer than anticipated. The council and I have discussed what we’re willing to trade. Inside are the documents with the details.”

Peter quickly got onto his boat after giving his transportation a brief once over to make sure the echo disruptor was still attached and in good condition. The Rounded Ruins were the remains of an observatory on a mountain. They were almost completely submerged and only the top of the golden dome was left exposed. It had dulled over time, but it was still bright enough that it was easy to find even at a distance.

He felt a gentle touch on his shoulder and he turned, accepting the brief brush to his forehead as she swiped her thumb over his skin.

“May your travels be without darkness, and your bond to the land ever present.”

It was a customary prayer for those who left on long journeys. Peter never knew if it was to any specific god, but it was a common phrase used during the Submersion and no one knew its origin.

It still made him feel settled, his shoulders relaxing and a light smile flicker across his face.

“I’ll be back as soon as possible. Make sure MJ doesn’t blow up the place while I’m gone.”

May smiled, giving him a nod as he untied the rope and started rowing out. The boat rocked with his enthusiastic motions and he almost toppled over, arms flailing wildly as he righted himself.

His heart pounded, and not for the first time he questioned how he had survived so long both out at sea and in the lab surrounded by dangerous chemicals. He blamed his utter lack of grace and general clumsiness on his lanky form, a result of the lack of sustenance in the facility.

Still, their shortage of helpers meant he was sent out to sea despite his much higher chance of demise by tripping over his own feet and straight into the mouth of some lucky sea beast. His only saving grace was that he was one of the only people who understood the schematics of the flotation devices his parents had built. Now that he was older, he was spared from fishing solely because he was needed at the lab, repairing things.

It was only after a few hours of rowing, with a lunch break in between, that he neared the Rounded Ruins. He was careful as he rowed, going slower than usual. The Rounded Ruins were a good neutral spot to meet the Wanderer, but they were also a really dangerous place.

The Krags, one of the ancient sea creatures, dwelled in the ruins. They were flat and resembled manta ray. They were the size of an entire observatory and had wicked spikes they could release at a moments notice. More than one unfortunate human and ship were stabbed by those poisonous spikes. The worst part was that they travelled in packs. Often times, a pack of them swimming slowly underneath his boat had him sweating bullets. Luckily, the echo disruption made him practically invisible.

He rowed the boat slowly around the structure. The years under the sun had eroded the gold, leaving most of it flaking off and revealing the metal underneath. He finally found the metal pole that was sticking out and tied his boat to it. Others had used this as a meet up point before, and they’d had the foresight to add something to moor the boats. Already he could see that there was another worn boat tied to the pole.

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed his pack and gripped clammy hands onto the dented grooves in the structure. He climbed up rather awkwardly, cursing lowly under his breath as he did. He had sweat through his shirt before he made it to the top.

He fell to his knees, slumped over as he caught his breath. Being stuck in a lab most of the time meant he had little to no exercise and a complete lack of stamina. Sometimes, he missed the way it’d felt, fishing on the dangerous waters with adrenaline running through his small body, the wind that was less a gentle caress and more a demanding push and shove keeping him alert. Compared to when he was a child, he almost never went out fishing nowadays.

A shadow fell over him and he stiffened before slowly looking up, nervous butterflies of dread dancing in his stomach.

The sun made it hard to see anything but a dark form, but he would recognize that blinding smile anywhere. The Wanderer was bare chested, his skin dark and covered in scars. He had desperately hoped it wouldn’t be him, but as suspected, it was the Wanderer he least wanted to see.

“Well, this wasn’t how I imagined you on your knees but I’ll take it.”

That teasing voice snapped him out of it and he scowled as he clambered up. In his haste, he almost slipped off the roof. For one heart stopping moment he felt himself hovering over the water, soon to become fish food. In the next second, the Wanderer grabbed his arm and tugged him hard. Peter slammed into him with a harsh ‘oof’, his face smacking into that toned chest he was obviously not attracted to.

“Careful there, my heart wouldn’t be able to take it if you died on my watch.”

Peter shoved the Wanderer away, his hands briefly caressing the other man’s abs for a delicious moment. If only Wade didn’t say such silly, wonderful, flirtatious words to every person and everything within speaking distance.

“Wade,” Peter greeted, his eyes darting up to meet amused eyes and a shit-eating grin. Behind him, the sun almost seemed to frame the man’s bald head, casting a glow on the slivers of raised skin there. “I’m here for business.”

“Ah yes,” Wade’s grin dimmed, though he seemed no less entertained by Peter’s attempts at keeping them on track. “You are. But I’m only here to see you.”

Peter ignored his words, opening his backpack as he pulled out the documents he’d reviewed during his brief lunch break.

“I heard that the Wanderers have something we could potentially use, and we are willing to offer goods in exchange for information.”

Wade let out a hum as his intense eyes skimmed over Peter’s body.

“You seem to have lost weight, that’s not good.” Wade chided as he reached out a hand and cupped Peter’s cheek. A thumb brushed over his prominent cheekbones, and Peter froze, breath caught in his throat as his mouth dropped open slightly. “You need to take care of yourself.”

“I…” Peter trailed off as his skin heated under the man’s touch. This time he was more gentle as he pushed away the hand, already missing its warmth. “I don’t have time to deal with your inane comments. I’m here because you have something that could save our people.”

Wade’s gaze hardened and he scoffed, his hand falling down to his side as they balled into fists.

“Yes, your people.” His eyes darted to just over Peter’s shoulder, focusing on the clouds that were rolling in across the waters. It was still rather far away, but soon they wouldn’t be able to see an inch in front of them due to the fog. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Peter felt a chill crawl up his spine. Generally it was humid, but the erratic cold storms had only grown more dangerous after the Submersion. “Not mine.”

“Please,” Peter started, brow furrowed as he stepped closer to the man, a hand hovering in between them, as if afraid to touch. “I know that we—I know that during the Submersion—”

Peter stopped, taking a deep breath before continuing. “We were wrong. We can’t deny that. You were all civilians that trusted in a government that abandoned you. Even though I’m just a scientist, I know that all of us were just as guilty for not speaking up. But we were scared.” His eyes turned imploringly up at Wade, tears swimming in them. “We were just trying to survive.”

Wade deflated, the hostile clench of his fists slowly loosening. He ran a hand down his face, his eyes closed tightly for a moment.

“I know.” His voice was tired, exhausted in a way that spoke of pain beyond his years. Wade was in his early thirties, but already he seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders. “It’s Year 19 now, most of us have moved on from the Submersion. We were all just trying to survive. I didn’t mean to snap at you, I just…”

“Yeah, I know.” Peter allowed himself to give in to temptation, stepping close enough to look up at the man with a soft smile. He’d always hated that Wade had grown up to be much taller than him. “I bring up bad memories. I understand.”

Wade shrugged helplessly, taking full advantage of Peter’s closeness to rest his forehead against his. His eyes dropped down to Peter’s lips, narrowing when Peter licked his lips.

“Mm, well, you could make it up to me.”

Peter let out a huff, a smirk on his lips even as he felt relieved that Wade was back to his usual playful self.

“Not a chance in hell.” He stepped back and cleared his throat. He sat down and patted the space next to him as he pulled out some of his provisions. “Now come on, I know you haven’t eaten yet.”

Wade flopped down beside him, his legs crossed loosely as he rested his elbow on his knee. He propped his chin on his fist, grinning as he gestured to his mouth then to the dried pieces of fish Peter held in his grasp.

Peter glared at him and they had an unspoken, tense moment before Peter relented and fed him the pieces.

Wade chewed happily, and there was a quiet moment of peace between them as he ate. Peter wordlessly offered his canteen full of water and Wade took some large gulps.

“So, how have you been?” Wade asked, eyeing Peter with curiosity. “It’s been almost a year since I last saw you.”

“Same as always,” Peter replied, relaxing as it became obvious Wade wasn’t going to hit on him again. He didn’t exactly mind being hit on, but it opened up old daydreams, desires that he could never voice, for fear of destroying the carefully balanced friendship they had. Their options both ended in misery, both for Peter and Wade. Peter could abandon his post, and join the Wanderers, but it would leave his people struggling to keep afloat their only method of survival without their main technician. Wade also had responsibilities to the Wanderers, as one of their main hunters. Neither of them would be accepted into the other’s world and it would tear them apart, their future filled with nothing but resentment and regret. He would rather have their friendship, strained with unspoken feelings, than be left with a void in his heart where Wade used to be. “Have you been well?”

“Eh, I got a new scar, but it’s still the same old shitty life.”

“Ah,” Peter let out, his heart clenching knowing that Wade had suffered yet another injury. Wade was covered in scars, yet Peter could vividly recall the one that he’d received because of Peter’s bad decision.

Wade had always seemed to just be there. He’d first met the man when his parents died during Year 9. He’d only been 14, and had commandeered a boat out to sea. It’d been a completely stupid decision. He’d wanted to kill the beast that had taken his parents, knowing full well he had no way of winning against a monster the size of a building.

He’d headed out to the ruins where his parents had been killed, determined to find the sea creature. The facility had managed to salvage the recording his parents had died for, but their bodies were long lost to the unforgiving ocean.

He couldn’t accept that. If he couldn’t have his closure, then he would have his revenge.

He’d foolishly snuck up on the creature, a harpoon in his hand as he clambered up the ruins until he was angled just high enough that he could throw the sharp tip straight through the creature’s neon body.

He’d almost done so, too, the low rumbling call of the creature as it swam past making his head swim, his anger burning hotter than the rain around him. Before he could go through with it, he’d been pulled back, a hand coming up to grip the sharp tip of the harpoon.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the voice warned, tone pitched low so that the creature wouldn’t detect them. “It would kill you in seconds.”

“Let me go!” Peter struggled and the metal cut deep into the palm of the man as he clasped a hand over Peter’s mouth to muffle his indignant screeches.

“Your parents didn’t die so that you could join them,” the man hissed out, voice pained as he did so. Peter froze, surprise loosening his grip on the harpoon. The man immediately tore it from his grip, tossing it carelessly aside. “They saved my life once. Your parents were good people who died too soon. I couldn’t repay that life debt, but I’m hoping that you’ll see reason and let me take you home.”

Peter collapsed into sobs then. He turned and burrowed himself into the man’s arms. He seemed unsure as to what to do with the sobbing teen in his lap before carefully surrounding him in strong arms.

“It’s okay. My name is Wade, and I’ll be your guardian from now on.”

It wasn’t until after Peter had been escorted home, that his dreams were filled with the man’s expressive dark eyes, the scars on his skin an indication of his status as a Wanderer. It also didn’t take Peter long to realize Wade was an absolutely immoral man who could barely take care of himself, much less Peter. Surprisingly enough, the rest of the Wanderers didn’t share Peter’s opinion. In fact, they seemed to respect Wade.

Wade had spent those first few years following Peter every time he went out on an expedition. There was a lack of people in the facility and they always needed more helpers. Even though he was barely more than a child himself, Peter was often sent out to fish for them. In between trips, he would continue his parents’ area of study, eventually making vast improvements to the flotation devices they now used to keep the facility afloat. Once he proved himself adept at maintaining the devices, they had demanded more and more of his time be spent in the lab, making it a little harder to meet with Wade.

Still, the man was good company and it wasn’t until it was too late that he realized he had an absolutely hopeless crush on Wade. He’d started avoiding him soon after, even going so far as to only meeting him a few times a year, compared to the weeks and months they used to spend together. Part of it was because he was needed in the lab as one of the only scientists with the necessary skills to fix the flotation devices; a larger part was because he didn’t want to face Wade with his feelings.

He knew that Wade was hurt by his obvious avoidance, but he also knew Wade wouldn’t push him for answers because the Wanderer truly did care for him. It was perhaps cowardly of him, but if he ever acknowledged the sincerity in Wade’s flirtations, it would change everything. In this constantly shifting world, drifting, lost at sea, Wade was his only constant. And as long as he clung to Wade as his anchor in life, he lived in fear over how their relationship could change, and the potential consequences that came with it.

Wade spoke again, breaking him out of his musings. The man carefully traced a slightly pinker, raised scar on his forearm. It was wicked looking, spanning from his elbow to the area near his wrist.

“I miscalculated, that’s all. I was lucky I got away with my arm intact. The poison itself was already killer on my immune system—”

“It was poisonous?” Peter yelped, concerned as he crawled closer, grabbing Wade’s arm and raising it so that he could see it better. Wade took a little bit too long to answer so he looked back up, expectant.

Wade was staring at him with a fond smile on his lips, his eyes carrying a love in it that Peter refused to think too hard on. He dropped Wade’s arm hastily, folding his hands in his lap as he averted his eyes.

They couldn’t see each other as potential romantic partners. Wade had always taken care of him out of obligation and perhaps a familial sense of responsibility. For his own sanity, Peter needed things to stay that way.

Maybe if he said it to himself enough times, he’d believe it.

“I recovered quickly. You know me,” Wade reassured as he sent Peter a dazzling smile. “I’m hard to kill.”

Peter sighed, rolling his eyes before his lips pressed into a thin line. Seeing his serious look, Wade straightened up, nodding at the documents that Peter had placed his backpack on.

“So, what’s the problem? What do they need from us so badly that they sent their most precious engineer out?” He waggled his eyebrows teasingly, snapping his teeth together in a mimicry of a big bad wolf. “What if I whisked you away? Kept you tied up in my evil Wanderer dungeon?”

Peter rolled his eyes, feeling just a little flushed from Wade’s words. He ignored the man’s teasing and let out an aggravated huff, head dipped down as he ran frustrated hands through his coarse hair, gripping at them idly.

“We just heard rumors that you guys had an alternative way to survive on the water.” Peter shrugged, glancing up at Wade as he bit at his lower lip nervously. “We were hoping these rumors were true.”

“Oh?” Wade’s tone was inquisitive. Peter knew that it was meant to seem uninterested, but he’d known Wade for too long. He knew that Wade was concerned, a trace of tension in his words. “And who exactly did you hear that from?”

Peter eyed him warily. Though Wade often played the friendly fool, Peter had seen him when he’d hunted. He was blood thirsty then, grin wide with a certain insanity that came with living in a world of constant death and destruction. He was one of the few Wanderers that actively hunted the sea beasts. He would take his spoils and often share the meat with other Wanderers. He knew that Wade was dangerous, it’s just that the man had never, ever directed that ire towards him.

Wade treated him like he was precious. He’d seen the man interact with other Wanderers. Often he was cheerful, but flippant. Ironically, he used his welcoming demeanor to keep people at arm’s length.

Sometimes, Peter wondered if he was the only one that had seen the real Wade. The one that sometimes grew quiet in a thoughtful sort of grief, the one that didn’t always smile as if he had to constantly put on an act. It made a fierce possessiveness within him rear its ugly head. Just because he was too afraid to take what was his, didn’t mean he wanted to share that side of Wade with anyone else. It was selfish, but he’d always been a selfish man. Shaking himself out of his musings, Peter replied, voice wary.

“You know we can’t tell you that.”

“Well,” Wade drawled out, eyes narrowed as a dark smirk crossed his lips. “I’ll find out eventually.”

He paused and Peter shuddered, unsure if he was more turned on by a dangerous Wade, or frightened.

Wade seemed to struggle with himself for a moment before coming to a decision and meeting Peter’s eyes with a frown. “It’s true that we may have something that could be of use to you guys…”

He leaned forward, his arms placed loosely on his crossed legs as his body shifted. “The real question is not what we have to offer you, but what do you have to give?”

Peter straightened up, pulling out his papers and handing them over to Wade. May had made preparations for this, and made an offer that the Wanderers couldn’t reject.

As Wade’s eyes darted over the page carefully, Peter negotiated, hands gesturing as he did so.

“In exchange for the Wanderer’s knowledge we are willing to give away one of our flotation devices and the supplies from that list.”

Wade’s lips pulled up, almost amused as he finished reading.

“The supplies are tempting, but we have no need for the flotation device. You’ll have to come up with a better offer.”

Peter’s mouth dropped open, heart skipping a beat before pounding full force. It didn’t make sense that Wade was rejecting the flotation device. The Wanderers had long since tried to offer a trade for one of the devices. The devices were their livelihood, and allowed the people on it to live comfortably without fear of being discovered by the beasts. It also allowed for a massive, stable platform to build buildings on. The flotation device they offered was something the facility had spent years making. It was large enough to fit a small town on, and the Wanderers were rejecting the offer?

It made no sense.

“But…” Peter floundered, taken aback by this unexpected twist. He was helpless as he ran a shaky hand through his hair, adrenaline running through him as he tried to hide his desperation. They needed this information badly. “I don’t understand. Isn’t that what you guys have wanted for years?”

Wade shrugged, throwing the papers on the roof as he stood up, dusting off the loose pants he wore.

“We have no need for them anymore.”

“That’s—!” Peter scrambled up, mind racing. “That doesn’t make sense! Not unless—”

Oh.

Wade smirked as realization dawned in Peter’s eyes. He gave Peter’s shoulder a pat, proud of how quickly Peter had figured it out.

“The information,” Peter breathed out, eyes wide as he grabbed Wade’s arm tight enough that it was just on the edge of painful. “You guys found another way to live on the water! You don’t _need_ the floatation devices anymore.”

“Bingo,” Wade praised as he pressed his index finger to the tip of Peter’s nose for a brief second. “We found another way. A much more durable solution.”

“What is it? What are you guys using that could be better than the devices?” Peter asked, his scientific mind yelling at him to find out and to analyze it. “Is it a new type of metal? Did you guys invent another type of device? Or is it none of those and you have all found a way to keep the ruins from being completely submerged?”

Wade waited patiently as Peter asked him questions in rapid succession. Peter had worried once, that Wade would get bored of his rambling words, but he’d mentioned once that he thought it was adorable. Peter had been so embarrassed that he hadn’t spoken more than one or two words to Wade for a few days afterwards.

  
“I could show you, hell, I could do you one better and give you some of it.”

Peter visibly deflated in relief, his eyes swimming in gratitude. His lips tilted up into a hesitant smile. “Thank—”

“Ah, ah,” Wade tutted as he pressed a finger to Peter’s lips. “It’s not for free.”

Peter wrapped his fingers around Wade’s wrist and tugged it down. He kept his grip there, fingers flexing as he warily stared at Wade. The sun was now lower in the sky, and the wind whipped at them as the fog rolled in.

It blew his longer locks into a mess, but Wade’s hairless scalp was blessedly spared.

The world was hazier now as the fog surrounded them, giving it an almost dreamlike quality. They were two sides of the same coin, both wanting the best for their people, standing on the precipice of a decision that could make or break everyone’s futures.

“We have something that could help us live on the water,” Wade started, relenting and showing his own worries and desperation as he turned his palm to caress Peter’s hand. “But we don’t have the materials to build on top of it. Every time the water levels rise and we’re forced to move, we take apart the skyscraper we’d been living in for materials. We’re also scattered across different ruin sites and it would take the Wanderers forever to build something. We can give you some of what we have, on the condition that we regularly receive supplies for building.”

“We can do that,” Peter agreed stiltedly as he looked off to the side, biting his lip in shame. “We have the ability to transport large amounts of materials from one site to the other, and dive for more, but in terms of supplies, we can only provide metal and the likes. We don’t have any food to spare…”

Wade shook his head, his smile kind in the way that Peter always loved—the way Peter had missed. “We don’t need food from you guys, we have more than enough. You’d be surprised how many people one of those beasts can feed. I know your people are too careful to hunt them, but we’re just crazy and desperate enough to risk it. We also have no other choice.”

Wade chuckled at that, though it was a rather morbid thought.

“We can keep you guys fed, as long as you contribute most of the supplies, and help build. The Wanderers will gather scrap metal wherever they can to speed up the process.”

Peter thought about it, his eyes squinting as the wind picked up speed around them. Even through the haze of the fog around them, he could see how tense Wade was. He wasn’t the only one who wanted this to work out. Both of their people had lost too much, and with this, it might be the first step to bridge the gap between the Wanderers and his people.

Peter had been raised to be wary of the Wanderers, and though it was true that most of them would rob him blind if they encountered him, he also knew it was because they wanted to survive. They were dangerous, but out of necessity not malice.

He reached out his hand, a small smile on his lips.

“Sounds good. It’s a deal.”

Wade relaxed minutely before raising his hand up and clasping Peter’s in his own calloused palm. In the blink of an eye, Peter was pulled into a strong hug.

Wade was a solid support against him; the man had always been more affectionate than him. Peter sighed in contentment, raising his hands until he could rest them on Wade’s scarred back. He could tell that Wade had missed him, and he felt guilty for avoiding the man for so long.

There was a loud call that startled him, and he clung just a little tighter to Wade, burrowing into his warm hold. It was a deep rumbling that could be the roll of thunder, or the battle cry of a sea beast. The fog was so thick they couldn’t see anything past the occasional flashes of lightning. There was no rain, but they had long since adapted to the bizarre weather phenomena of their new reality.

The world was terrifying in a way that never stopped haunting him ever since the Submersion. In Wade’s arms, he felt safe. As if life wasn’t just about surviving, but living.

“What happened to us, Peter?” The taller man’s voice was muffled in his shoulder, the heart wrenching sadness in it making Peter press his fingers into Wade’s skin. It wasn’t Wade’s fault he was unable to come to terms with his feelings. It wasn’t Wade’s fault he’d fallen in love and was too scared to face it, to act on it and change their relationship for good.

It wasn’t, but Wade was being punished for it.

Peter pulled away, pushing a few times until Wade reluctantly let him go. He cleared his throat, avoiding the pain in Wade’s eyes as he stepped back and picked up his stuff, shoving it back into the bag.

“Come on,” Peter muttered, shouldering the pack as he headed over to the spot where they could climb back down. “Let’s go check out what you Wanderers have to offer us.”

Wade was silent as he followed, and Peter could feel the intensity of his stare even as he tried to ignore it. They didn’t speak as they got ready, getting into their respective boats.

Wade lead them out to sea, squinting at the sky as he bit his lower lip in worry. To get to the ruins, they had to go directly through the storm.

“This doesn’t seem like a normal storm,” Wade called out, struggling to maintain control of his boat as the wind swept them wildly to and fro.

Peter’s eyes focused on the distant horizon, taking note of the harsh waves and rolling flashes of light that sometimes pierced the thick fog. The storm was bad, but the wind wasn’t strong enough to cause such huge waves. Something else was coming.

“No,” Peter yelled out in agreement, the crashing waves and deep booms of thunder making it hard to hear. His eyes widened in fear as they got closer, the waves flashing with bright yellow lights as it moved towards them.

“Fuck,” Peter cursed as he tried to row closer to Wade’s boat. He didn’t have to warn him; Wade seemed to realize what was happening, his paddling frantic as they changed direction, trying to get back out of the storm now that they understood its cause.

Despite their best efforts, they couldn’t get away in time. Peter held his breath, thanking the gods they both had disruption devices.

They rode the waves, going high above the fog as the rolling Thralls moved underneath them. A loud crackling sound echoed above the sea as the giant eels swam through the waters in a wave of electricity. They were enormous, so long Peter couldn’t see the end of them. It was a pack of at least six, spanning the water as far as he could see, the motion of their bodies causing gigantic waves that glowed in flashes of light. The Thralls, as humanity had unfortunately learned during the Submersion, constantly emitted electricity. It was enough to fry the average person.

They’d existed for centuries in the deepest parts of the ocean, but after the Submersion, they’d taken to the surface as humans were now their main source of food. It was jarring to say the least, knowing that such terrifying creatures lurked for so many years underneath the water.

Their teeth were the size of big trees, each one deadly sharp. The Thralls themselves had no eyes. Instead they relied on their sharp sense of smell and echolocation to hunt. They were much like sharks, able to smell blood from miles away.

Nobody knew why, but a storm followed every pack of Thrall, a storm made of fog, lightning, and thunder, but never of rain. It was a haunting phenomenon, making them a danger not only in the water, but above it.

Here, stuck in between the flashes of lightning in the sky, and the moving electricity beneath them, it was hard to tell if they were going to survive. Peter could only hope their disrupters would hold up despite the heavy amounts of electricity they were being subjected to.

Eventually the pack of Thralls moved on, their low cries fading into the distance as the storm followed them. It was hard to tell if the low booming sounds were the echoes of their cries, or the thunder itself.

The ocean was calm again, lapping gently at their boats as they caught their breath, hearts pounding from the near death encounter.

“That was insane,” Peter let out a hysterical laugh as he wiped away the tears he didn’t notice had streaked his cheeks. He was still shaking, adrenaline coursing through his veins. “I don’t think I’ve ever been that close to a Thrall.”

“Yeah well,” Wade shuddered, his face hard as he started rowing again. “The Thralls are one beast that we’ve never been stupid enough to hunt, and never will. It’s a deathwish.”

The rest of the trip was without incident and they reached the City Ruins by nightfall. There were five skyscrapers, the top few floors peeking out of the ocean. They were the last surviving pieces of the once-large city. As they rowed past, it was unnaturally quiet, and Peter could see the shadows of people behind broken windows from the corners of his eyes, but every time he tried to look up, there was nothing there. It was unsettling, and he wasn’t sure if he’d imagined the humanoid shapes or if they were Wanderers.

Peter’s people treated the Wanderers with caution, but the distrust went both ways. Wanderers were also wary of them and most of the time actively avoided them if they could help it. It worked out perfectly, since neither side wanted to interact with the other.

Peter had always hated that.

The Wanderers had an excess of food, and his people had the ability to live above the water in places more comfortable than the abandoned ruins the Wanderers used. They both had something the other needed. He could only hope that with this deal, they could learn to trust each other again.

He followed Wade as they rowed directly into one of the buildings, the gaping ruin of one wall giving it an accessible opening. Inside, there were a few worn boats also tied down, but not as many as he’d anticipated.

“Are you guys really this lacking in equipment?” Peter was truly confused as he gestured to the boats that looked like they were one voyage away from falling apart. “I’d assumed living in the ruins would give you some leftover building materials.”

Wade didn’t answer for a moment. He glanced at Peter out of the corner of his eye with a calculating glint. He stepped out of the boat and onto the floor that slanted into the water. Peter gladly took the hand offered to him, stepping carefully onto the damaged floor.

Wade shrugged, his gaze shifting away from Peter as he slowly explained.

“We do have raw materials, yes. Bits and pieces here and there that we could salvage from the ruins. But without the knowledge the people in your facility possess and the equipment needed to re-forge the materials, everything is basically useless.”

Peter nodded, thoughtful as his eyes darted around the hall they’d stepped into, nose crinkling at the damp smell everything had. Wade was still hiding something from him, and what he had told him wasn’t the full truth. It didn’t matter, eventually he’d get Wade to tell him everything, once they were working closely together again.

This building had clearly been an office of some sort. The hall had doors open on both sides that led into rooms that still had remnants of desks and computers on it. Some of the rooms were unusable, parts of the floor completely gone.

He could hear whispers as they walked, the voices quieting down whenever they passed. He noticed a few people crowded around a fire, the materials they were burning most likely containing plastic as the acrid smell wafted over to him. Trees were few and far between, so any sort of organic material was treated as something precious.

Rubbish on the other hand, they had more than enough of.

He stuck close to Wade’s back, aware that the only reason he wasn’t slightly more concerned was because Wade served as an effective deterrent for any unwanted advances. The looks the other Wanderers shot him weren’t exactly hostile but they weren’t welcoming either. Here, he felt like an outsider.

Wade had protected him from all this, when they’d spent time together. They’d always met on neutral grounds, either at sea or at the various isolated ruins that Wade had found.

“Where exactly are we going?” Peter whispered, flinching when the building made a groaning sound as it settled. The facility he’d lived in all of his life was in good condition and to see the way these people were living…it really made him feel guilty.

He’d spent his life trying to find a solution, not just for his people but for everyone. He knew that the Wanderers had it bad but he didn’t know just how uncomfortable their living conditions were till he was in the heart of it.

And this was supposedly one of the more cleaner ruins; he knew there were other groups of Wanderers spread out in various other ruins miles away. The facility had made sure to keep track of where all the groups were, even if they had no intention of ever approaching them.

Not until now.

“You’ll see,” Wade said. He tilted his head back, just enough so that Peter could see his amused smirk as he followed Wade. “Are you scared? Want me to hold your hand?”

Peter scowled and slapped Wade’s back hard. He heard several people gasp and he froze, looking around uncertainly. A few Wanderers had turned their attention to the duo, twin looks of shocked indignation on their faces.

Wade’s hand cupped his face, turning it till he was facing the man again.

“Don’t worry about them, they’re just being dramatic,” Wade reassured, even as Peter followed him shakily. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that he noticed Wade actually _was_ holding his hand as he lead him down several more corridors. He stared at it for a few moments, hating the fact that Wade was babying him but also reluctant to let go.

In the end, he relented, too selfish to protest. Wade’s hand was warm, and engulfed his, giving him something to focus on. He brushed his thumb over Wade’s scarred knuckles, relishing in the shiver of pleasure it brought out of Wade. Compared to Wade’s calloused hands, his seemed practically flawless. It was a stark contrast, between the way they’d lived their lives and the different hardships they’d both been through.

They stopped at the door to an office, the room dark except for the candles placed next to a giant hole in the floor. The floor was cracking in some places, drooping down to create a slide into the dark waters below.

“Come on, I wanted to show you something.” Wade steadied Peter with a firm arm over his shoulder as they cautiously stepped closer to the slanted edge.

“I don’t think going into the waters in the middle of the night is a good idea.”

Wade held him for a long moment, and Peter tore his eyes from the terrifying opening to focus on the scarred man. Wade was frowning, his fingers digging into Peter’s arms as he came to a decision.

“I…” Wade took a deep breath, the wrinkles around his eyes pronounced in a way that happened when he was stressed.

“Hey,” Peter comforted, pressing a thumb to the edge of Wade’s lips until his scowl softened.

He looked vulnerable, and it made Peter ache for him.

“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.”

Wade closed his eyes before stepped closer, resting his forehead against Peter’s. They breathed together, hands cupping each other’s faces as they tried to calm down.

“If I tell you this, it’ll change everything.”

Peter pulled back, eyes searching Wade’s face. Wade’s words were heavy with something more than just their situation. He was referring to the secret solution the Wanderer’s had, yet it was also something more. Something personal. The man had turned his head to the side, reluctant to meet Peter’s eyes.

He was afraid, and it was a fear Peter finally recognized. He saw it in himself whenever he looked into the mirror, in the fear he felt whenever he clutched the trinkets that Wade had left him over the years. It was clammy hands and terror whenever he met Wade and had to try _so hard_ not to give away how much he loved him. The tears he’d wept knowing he was too much of a coward to face their mutual love, even though he knew that Wade wanted him too. Peter didn’t want Wade to be scared of him, because he realized that he was the same.

They were both terrified of the what-ifs, too afraid to change their comfortable friendship that had only grown closer over the years, until Peter had drawn back.

He saw his fear reflected in Wade’s hazel eyes, and that flash of recognition gave him the courage to press his chapped lips to scarred ones. The gasp he felt against his mouth was intoxicating, and he chased it with a warm swipe of his tongue. Wade stood in shock for only a split second more before he let out a groan and pushed forward, giving just as much as he was getting. He kissed Peter like a man drowning, as if Peter was the only one who kept him above the waters.

They parted, a gentle smile on Peter’s face and an ecstatic grin on Wade’s.

“So…does this mean…?” Wade broached the question quietly, his breath stuck in his throat. The candle light danced over his face highlighting the hollow of his throat and the raised scars on his body.

Wade looked like he’d went through hell and back, and Peter didn’t want to be another scar on Wade’s heart.

“Yeah,” Peter affirmed with a whisper. Wade let out an excited whoop and Peter shushed him with a startled laugh, slamming both hands over Wade’s mouth. They calmed down and stared at each other, smiles on both their faces.

“Sometimes I told myself you saw me as a family member, though mostly I was just...scared of changing what we had,” Peter confessed as he grabbed Wade’s hand, tracing his thumb over the grooved scars Wade had received many years ago. It was a different time then, he had been grieving and reckless, and he had hurt Wade. It was amazing, knowing he was allowed to touch Wade despite everything. He no longer had to hide how he felt. It was breathtaking, knowing that even if they were romantically involved, he wouldn’t lose Wade. The negotiated peace changed everything, and even it it hadn’t...seeing Wade reminded him how much he’d given up by staying away, and Peter couldn’t bear to do it again.

Wade let out a scoff and a shocked splutter at that, finger pointing between them rapidly.

“Are you kidding me? I hit on you almost every time we met up!”

Peter shrugged, shoulders coming up to his ears as he flushed in embarrassment.

“But you do that to everyone,” Peter muttered in defense. Wade laughed, tugging him close and giving him a wet kiss on his forehead.

“You idiot, that was just me being friendly. I only ever talked about _your_ ass, _your_ beautiful eyes, those adorable cowlicks in your hair—”

“Alright, I get it!” Peter interrupted with a yelp, heart pounding. He was happy, really he was, but Wade’s compliments always made him blush.

Wade’s smile dropped, something sad in his gaze as he brushed the back of his hand over Peter’s cheek.

“I thought you were avoiding me because you knew and didn’t want to deal with my ridiculous crush.”

Peter let out a helpless laugh at that, leaning in so he could rest his head against Wade’s shoulder.

“I was actually avoiding you so you wouldn’t find out about _my_ ridiculous crush on _you_.”

Wade wrapped his arms around Peter, chuckling as he pressed a kiss to his dark hair.

“We’re both a pair of cowardly idiots.”

Peter let out a hum of agreement and sighed. He groaned suddenly, pulling back with a grimace. At Wade’s inquisitive look he spoke.

“God damn it, MJ is going to gloat about this forever.”

Wade laughed, tugging Peter as he moved them closer to the slanted floor.

“Well, we definitely need to thank her. Without her intervention, we never would’ve pulled our head out of our asses.”

Peter let out a whine, pouting as they stepped down until the water was lapping at their ankles. He eyed the waters warily, holding tightly to Wade’s hand.

“So what is this magical solution you guys have, care to show me?”

Wade gave him a dangerous grin, one that had him sweating nervously. He watched with some trepidation as Wade started singing. The notes were bizarre and not in any language he could recognize. The notes were haunting, and reminded him of caves and storms. They echoed in the room, increasing in volume until Wade suddenly cut off.

A song answered him back and Peter jumped when he felt something touch his ankle. He’d been so focused on Wade he hadn’t noticed the giant Silky creeping up on them.

“Wade!” Peter yelled out, pulling his new boyfriend’s hand urgently, trying to get him out of the creature’s reach. Silkys were usually the size of a car and were known to eat everything they came across. From metal to humans, everything was fair game. They were huge bulbous creatures and were truly unsettling to look at. From afar, they looked like a giant ball, the beast round and almost perfectly spherical. They tended to drift on the surface of the water, rarely diving down. It resembled a giant eyeball, and it even had a filmy layer of skin that moved back and forth giving it the illusion of blinking.

The true horror was the fact that the “pupil” part of it would open up wide, almost splitting the entire orb in half as it sucked in everything within its vicinity. As if that wasn’t creepy enough, the creatures had long tentacles that drifted beneath it. They had shorter ones that helped them propel their body and longer, thinner tendrils that helped them capture prey. There was no end to the longer ones. They were suspected to be miles long.

Wade didn’t budge, not even as one of the short tentacles wrapped around his leg with a wet squish.

Peter whimpered, closing his eyes tightly as he felt a tentacle wrap around his ankle. He was terrified, but he refused to let go of Wade’s hand. He was not going to leave him, even if it meant they died together.

“Not that I don’t appreciate your concern, but could you loosen your hand a bit. It’s starting to hurt,” Wade chided with a disturbing degree of nonchalance as he walked closer to the Silky.

“Awwww, are you hungry? I’ll feed you after you take us down. I promise,” Wade cooed to the creature as he petted it.

Peter’s mouth dropped open, unsure if he was seeing things or his boyfriend had gone insane.

“What…?”Peter croaked out, as the tentacle wrapped a little tighter around his ankle. It thankfully just stayed on that one spot, and Peter didn’t dare move, lest it decide to shift that creepy ass tentacle a bit higher.

“This is Missy, she’s perfectly harmless.” Wade paused, squinting his eyes at the Silky. “Well, she’s harmless as long as you feed her.”

“You’re…she’s a pet? I….are you crazy?!” Peter grew increasingly frantic as he glanced from the lazily drifting Silky and his completely relaxed boyfriend. “Oh god we’re all going to die.”

Wade rolled his eyes at him as he stepped closer to Peter. The Silky released its hold on both their legs, the glowing blue tentacles slipping back into the water.

He was sheepish as he rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “I…probably should have warned you before doing that.”

“Yes, a little warning would have been nice,” Peter bit out, feeling faint. “What the hell is this?”

Wade sighed, rubbing his hands over Peter’s slightly shaking body as he explained.

“I’m sure you noticed we don’t really have boats, and the ones we do have are almost unsalvageable. Well…” Wade drawled out, gesturing to the calm Silky a few feet away from them. “Our boats are left in disrepair because we don’t need them.”

“Are you telling me you guys found a way to tame these sea creatures?” Peter was fascinated, but a part of him was still skeptical.

“No, we didn’t tame them,” Wade denied, shaking his head. “That’s why it would have never worked if your people did this. You guys are always going on about conquering and submission. You don’t think to try and learn the creatures you condemn.”

Wade sang a low note and the Silky waved a tentacle, reaching out to pet him on the face almost fondly. It quickly retracted when it tried to do the same to Peter’s face and he cringed away.

“The Submersion ended our old lives, but it also gave us the opportunity to start over. Instead of fighting against them, we decided why not work with them? We tried to communicate with as many species as we could. Most of them were hostile, but some were willing to engage in a mutually beneficial relationship.”

Peter’s mouth dropped open in awe, his grip tightening on Wade’s hands. This opened up a whole new world for them. It made so much sense as to how the Wanderers had survived for so long and were able to hunt such savage sea creatures. It was because they had creatures on their side as well.

“They don’t eat humans because they _want_ to, they eat us because we attack them first. When the Submersion happened, it didn’t just end our society as we knew it, it also disrupted theirs. They were suddenly pushed closer to the surface, and creatures they’d never seen before were attacking them. It was inevitable they’d see humans as the enemy.”

Wade send out a few more clicks with his tongue, and the Silky wrapped a tentacle around his waist. It did the same to Peter and he yelped as they were gently deposited on top of the creature. He froze, unable to comprehend that he was riding a sea monster that he’d seen devastate towns. “We observed their calls, and developed ways to let them know our intentions. It’s not a perfect system, but it’s enough that they allow us to use them as transportation in exchange for food.”

“And this is your solution?” Peter croaked out, throat tight as he held onto the tentacle on his waist lest he fall off the creature.

“No, this is.” Wade sang a high note and the Silky responded with a roar. And without warning, they were diving.

Peter clenched his eyes shut, taking a deep breath right before they were plunged into freezing dark waters, the Silky propelling them downwards. The tentacle around his waist kept him safely pinned to the top of the Silky. It wasn’t until he felt a tap on his arm that he opened his eyes. Wade pointed to his own eyes before gesturing to something above them. They had dived underneath the other rooms and Wade must have communicated to the Silky because it raised one of its bioluminescent tentacles up towards the ceiling.

The weak light illuminated thin shadows that seemed to stretch all around them. When Peter glanced up, he almost let out his breath in surprise. The entire structure was covered in gigantic stalks of what seemed to be seaweed. They pressed against the underside of the building serving as a platform of sorts, keeping it from crumbling apart.

Before he could see anything more, they were resurfacing in the same room. Peter gasped as he shivered, the cold numbing him. Wade seemed fine in comparison, but the man was used to extreme temperatures.

Wade patted Missy before speaking to her softly. She placed them back on the ground and dove back into the waters. Peter was about to ask what was happening when she came back and handed several stalks of the seaweed to Wade. The man let out some praise before he headed over to a bathtub that Peter hadn’t noticed. It seemed out of place in the office, but when Wade dragged out a giant piece of sea monster meat, he realized why it was necessary. He tossed the meat to Missy and her round self split into a terrifyingly wide gape before snapping shut. With one last cooing note, she sank into the waters and disappeared out of view.

Wade picked up the seaweed stalks he’d put down, handing them to Peter to look over. They were slippery and felt almost fake, like plastic. When he tried to bend them, they didn’t budge. Each strand felt like a solid metal rod. Huge leaves grew atop the rods, and the fronds were the size of a small child.

“We discovered these in some of the ruins. They grow fairly easily and are strong enough to build an entire city on. They are almost impossible to destroy and we’ve noticed that most sea creatures don’t like going near them. They secrete a scent Missy has shown dislike for. That, with the disruption device you guys have, would make the area you choose to plant these a natural sea creature repellant.”

Peter stared at the stalks, running his hand over them reverently. With this, they wouldn’t have to worry about erosion, or the flotation devices rusting over time. It would solve all their problems. There was still something he didn’t understand though.

“If you guys have these, why didn’t you just keep them for yourself? I mean, it would have been easy to plant them and then build on top of it.”

Wade sighed, his hand reaching out to gently squeeze Peter’s.

“We don’t have enough people, and we don’t have the materials required for such a large construction project. We’re also on our last legs here. The seaweed has supported these structures for many years, but with the rising sea levels, the skyscrapers will eventually be submerged. We need structures that are independent. That way the rising sea levels will not affect it and the buildings will float on top of the attached seaweed gardens.”

“This could be the solution that can save humanity,” Peter breathed out, not daring to believe it. He looked tearfully up at Wade before lunging forward and pressing frantic kisses to his face. “Thank you.”

Peter pulled away then, frowning with worry. “But if this was such a heavily guarded secret, won’t the Wanderers be angry at you for telling us this?”

Wade smirked, a knowing glint in his eyes.

“Did you really think the Wanderers didn’t have a leader? Every marginalized group of people has a leader, a beacon of hope, and we are no different. I represent their best chance at survival, and I don’t plan to fail.” Wade pressed a wet kiss to the tip of Peter’s nose, making him crinkle his nose at the ticklish sensation. “I may have a soft spot for you, but I’ll always do what’s best for my people. If it happens to benefit both of us, then all the better.”

Peter glared at him, poking him in the stomach hard enough to make him wiggle uncomfortably.

“I can’t believe you never told me! That’s why the Wanderers just let you do whatever you wanted all these years. I thought they had just given up on you because you were too stubborn to control.”

“Hey!” Wade protested as he laughed. “I’ll have you know I’m highly respected.”

“Mhm,” Peter agreed skeptically, a fragile smile on his face as they stared at each other for a long moment.

“Do you think we’ll succeed?” Peter whispered, his hands clenching hard where he was clinging to Wade’s hips. He bit his bottom lip in worry, his eyes darting down to stare at the dirty floor they stood on. “Do you think we can finally give everyone hope?”

“I don’t know,” Wade answered honestly. He pressed a kiss to Peter’s mouth, gentle and sweet. “You’ve always been my home, and I think that it’s time we give the Wanderers a home as well.”

“Humanity deserves a second chance.”

“Yeah.” Wade breathed out, eyes closed as they smiled. Distantly the creatures continued calling out to each other, but here, in this dilapidated room with only their body heat to keep them warm, a hope bloomed strong and tall.

Year 19, almost twenty years after the Submersion, and the start of humanity.

_fin_

Bonus art piece (Missy from Wade's POV):   
  


**Author's Note:**

> ...Yup lol Wade has rose tinted glasses when it comes to Missy he really loves his lil monster. Peter on the other hand is horrified x'D
> 
> This was created a while back as a submission to an anthology but I decided to convert it to a fic. They rejected my submission because apparently it had anti-immigration themes and I just....I was so baffled lmao they read the story completely wrong and their reaction was wholly unprofessional. As a second generation immigrant and also someone who knows how to differentiate between fiction and reality, I am honestly befuddled as to how they got that vibe from a fictional post apocalypse universe. Either way, I feel like I dodged a bullet with that one, if their reaction was any indication of their work ethic I want no part in it lmao.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed the story! And if so, please let me know in the comments down below. This story was a lot of fun to world build for and I'm really excited to hear what you all think. Thank you for taking the time to read! The art masterpost can be found [here](https://jdragon122.tumblr.com/post/180609219805/art-for-my-partner-in-crime-lunastories-s), please do leave a comment or a reblog if you enjoyed it <3 Dragon did an amazing job with these arts and it made me so happy. 
> 
> Edit: Recent comments have indicated an interest in seeing a continuation for this fic. I’m not adverse to doing so because I do have quite a bit more lore and other interactions I wanted to see between Wade and Peter. However, I have many stories I’m working on so it would depend on if people want a sequel. If any of you readers are interested in a sequel please do let me know in the comments and if there’s a demand for it I’ll make it happen.
> 
> We also have an amazing spideypool discord server that's open to everyone 18+. If anyone is interested in joining just follow this [tumblr post](https://mscaptainwinchester.tumblr.com/post/173625065976/are-you-as-gone-for-peter-parker-and-wade-wilson)! We'd be happy to have you <3 and it's a good way to meet other spideypool peeps.
> 
> You can find my tumblr [here](http://lunastories.tumblr.com/). Feel free to drop by and say hi!


End file.
